Press Releases

Minting the World War I Centennial Coin

Today, the United States Mint hosted a ceremonial strike of the 2018 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar honoring the 100th anniversary of American participation in World War I. The World War I Centennial Silver Dollar was authorized by statute in 2014 with bipartisan Congressional support. Three of the sponsors of the legislation, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Missouri), and U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado) personally attended the strike event. A fourth sponsor of the coin legislation, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), was unable to attend. Rep. Lamborn issued the following remarks:

"Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice with Germany, marking the end of battlefield hostilities in World War I. During the war, more than 4 million men and women from the United States served in uniform, and more than 100,000 gave their lives."

"To honor their service and sacrifices, Congress created the World War I Centennial Commission in 2013. The Commission was tasked with planning and executing activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I through the use of private donations and coin sales."

"While other great conflicts, including the Civil War, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, have all been memorialized on United States commemorative coins, there currently exists no coin to honor the brave veterans of World War I. That is why I introduced the bill that allowed us to honor the memory, service, and sacrifices of the brave veterans of World War I, while also providing the means to pay tribute to the end of World War I battlefield hostilities. Along with my colleagues in the House and Senate, including Rep Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri, and Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, we authorized the World War I Centennial Silver Dollar in 2014."

"The $10 surcharge collected on the sale of this historic coin will assist the World War I Centennial Commission in commemorating the centenary of World War I, which includes building the new national World War I memorial in Washington D.C. Each coin is its own commemoration of our veteran’s sacrifice during the war, but the funds raised will build this new lasting memorial for all visitors to enjoy. I had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking event a few weeks ago at Pershing Park and see the new site. When complete, the memorial will pay a fitting tribute to our heroes."